Johannesburg – Notorious diamond dealer Louis Liebenberg’s bail application at the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg was halted on Wednesday after he had a heated exchange with the magistrate and was referred for medical observation.
Liebenberg, his wife, and several co-accused face over R4 billion in fraud-related charges, including fraud, racketeering, theft, and money laundering.
During the hearing, Liebenberg accused the court, the magistrate, and the minister of correctional services of bias and misconduct.
He claimed he was being bullied by the state, prison authorities, police, liquidators, media, and others.
He also alleged he was abused in prison, complained about unsanitary conditions, and claimed severe weight loss and health issues.
Liebenberg refused to proceed with the application, citing bias by the magistrate, and declined to address her as “Your Worship,” arguing it conflicted with his religious beliefs.
“The Bible says clearly that I cannot worship anybody except God. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
[WATCH] “…I can’t worship anybody except God. We got this thing from England, ‘your worship and your honour'”. Alleged diamond scammer Louis Liebenberg tells the magistrate that he has a problem calling someone “your worship”. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/lKQbcl70RK
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 6, 2025
“We got this thing from Your Worship and Your Honour from England. It doesn’t mean that I don’t have respect. I have a problem with calling someone Your Worship.
“Where does it come from? We are in Africa with potholes and falling apart,” he said.
[WATCH] Alleged diamond scammer Louis Liebenberg claims he heard Correctional Service Minister Pieter Groenewald instructing a prison official over the phone to give him a hard time in jail. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/yqBr0dQ4K4
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 6, 2025
Liebenberg, held at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre’s C-Max prison, complained about dire conditions, claiming rats bigger than cats ran over inmates at night.
He said he had lost 42kg, dropping from 130kg to 88kg, and could barely walk 50 metres.
The magistrate eventually stopped the proceedings and sent him for a doctor’s check-up to assess his fitness to continue with the case.
[WATCH] Alleged diamond scammer Louis Liebenberg tells the court that he was raped in prison. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/50iZYrlqOE
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 6, 2025
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
